"And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan."
What do we learn about the living God?
We are taught about God in the Bible, but how do we know He really does exist? The illustration of the wind may be used. Wind cannot be seen. Nevertheless, we know that there is wind. We can feel it on our skin and we can see its power as it creates waves in the ocean, as it makes drifts and dunes in the desert, and as it blows trees, dust, and snow. We cannot see the wind, yet we know it is there by what it does. In the same way, We cannot see the living God, yet we know He is there by what He does. He has created all things. The universe works in perfect order. Everything He has made is beautiful, from the tiniest atom, to the largest planet or star. There is such detail in every part of creation. How can anyone deny the existence of God?
So we know that God must have created all things, as there is no other logical explanation. However, we must also ask, is God still around? or did He just leave once He created everything (a.k.a. Deism)? God did not merely set the universe in motion and go on vacation. God has always loved His creation. Everything was made for His glory. He created man in His own image. We are made "a little lower than the angels." (Hebrews 2:7) God has always had a special plan for all mankind. He planned in eternity past to send His Son Jesus to pay for our sin. The Lord loves us. The living God cares for us. He is very much a personal being. Just like the wind, we know that God exists, because of what He does. We know what He has done, by creating, but He is always active. He is the living God. Look at Matthew 6:26,28-30
"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?... And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"
So you see, God is active even in the little things, like providing for birds, and growing flowers, and most importantly in this passage, taking care of us, His children.
We know that the living God is with us, by the great, mighty, and impossible things He does. As He was with the Israelites, who were a small, seemingly insignificant nation, He is with us. He defeated a great number of peoples through the Israelites, and they knew He was there, because He did things that they could not do alone. In the same way, when we trust God every day, in all our battles, in our times of need, and any time we are in distress, we will see Him do amazing things. Someone has said, "Seek out the mountains, and you will witness God doing things through your life that can be explained only by His mighty presence." When situations that seem to be impossible arise in your life, seek the Lord, and you will see Him do wondrous things. As you trust the Lord each day, others will see God working in your life, and they will know as well that your God, Jehovah, really is the living God. Seek Him today!
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